Current Challenges Faced by Teams

Round table discussion
Mentor Meeting in Greensboro, Sept 29, 2012

• Fundraising
• Building relationships
• Time – networking/finding the right people
• Matching programs
• Demonstrations and presentations
• Field trips and community outreach
• Build space and test area
• Sustainability
• Ownership and productivity
• Lack of technical expertise
• Finding enough mentors
• Mentor burn-out
• Transportation for students
• Keeping students interested
• Balance student responsibility with results
• Build season anxiety
• Small student base
• Money
• Tooling – use of at build space
• Empowering student leaders
• Growth
• Consistent interest and attendance
• Programming (the robot)
• Mentors/Parents
• Transfer of skills
• Recruiting new members
• Scheduling – along with sports and other activities
• Year round team vs partial year team vs seasonal team?
• How to get parents more involved
• Faculty burn-out
• Team disconnect
• Year round physical space
• Tools training
• Trying to do both FRC and FTC
• Change the culture from mentor-led to student-led
• Student vs mentor esp during build season
• Off-season work